A Hug
by navitor3
Summary: Nami hasn't had a proper hug in a long time and wants one now. A ZoNa one-shot.


**Disclaimer: One Piece is not mine and neither is its characters.**

**A one-shot; before Robin and Chopper joined. **

oOo

A hug. A proper hug. That was what she wanted. The last proper hug she had received was just before the crew had left her home village of Cocoyashi? It had been a hug with which someone expressed affection and concern for her. A hug that was a symbol of an emotional connection. A gentle, yet firm expression of desire for her well-being. She hadn't had much of those in her life, but the few she did have meant a great deal to her. Here, on the merry though, the days dragged on with no such affection, no silent, comforting arms expressing concern. Well, there was Sanji, but she couldn't risk him keeping his sanity long enough to share a real hug with.

The navigator pushed her elbows off the railing. She was determined to get a hug right now, and she was going to get it from one specific person. She didn't care how embarrassing it would be, she needed it. Just a few seconds of reassurance was all she would ask for and she knew exactly where to go looking. The anchor room.

Nami descended the stairs of the bow to find Usopp. He might just be a boy with weak shoulders, but she felt close to him and she trusted that he'd be caring and considerate and definitely wouldn't drool over her the way Sanji might. The remaining two crew members were not deemed eligible.

Nami reached the foot of the stairs and suddenly all she saw was a flash of green and white, followed by a thud as Zoro landed on the deck right in front of her. She stopped abruptly and received a very distasteful view of the inside of his mouth as he gave an animalistic yawn and stretched his arms out.

"Oh brother...are you done?" she asked sarcastically.

Zoro's droopy eyes looked down at her, without interest. He smacked his lips together. The swordsman was taking a bathroom break after a relaxing nap in the crow's nest. He scratched the back of his head and turned away from her as if she hadn't said anything or even been standing there. He moved to the hold.

Nami pulled a face at his departing back. 'Lazy moron," she muttered, crossing the deck in the opposite direction, to the anchor room. They reached their prospective doors at the same time, when all of a sudden, Usopp came flying through the open doorway of the anchor room, just missing knocking Nami over, holding his one hand over his stomach and the other over his mouth. The sniper ran for the hold and Zoro, who had just opened the door managed to pull himself back and prevent Usopp from crashing into him. The youth ran into the hold and Nami looked on, surprised. "What was that?" she asked Zoro.

The swordsman glanced after the sniper with bored eyes. Then Nami heard and saw Usopp throwing up, not having had time to close the bathroom door behind him. Zoro shut the door to the hold to give him some privacy. "He's not feeling well," he answered. "He thinks it's the flu or something.

"Oh," Nami said, disappointed, but also sorry that Usopp was not feeling well. Maybe she could give him a hug to comfort _him_ instead and...no, _she_ needed someone's reassuring arms around _her_.

Zoro leaned against the wall next to the door, waiting for Usopp to finish up in the bathroom. He folded his arms across his chest, looking like he was ready to take another nap, standing upright this time. Nami watched his toned arms.

'Those arms could give a good hug,' she thought to herself. If only the owner of the arms was forthcoming or someone she'd actually consider getting that close to. Nami sighed. She decided to wait for Usopp by the mast, standing pretty much the same as Zoro was, but facing the railing. At least the sniper was probably also feeling vulnerable at that moment.

A few minutes later Usopp emerged, breaking the lingering silence on deck between the groggy swordsman and the hug-craving navigator. "How are you feeling?" Nami asked, genuinely concerned. Zoro waited to hear Usopp's response.

"Oh...my stomach's really messed up and I keep wanting to throw up," the sniper answered, rather faintly.

"Then you should get some rest," Nami said, gently taking his arm and walking him to the hatch of the men's quarters. "We can get you a bucket or something to throw up in, then you won't have to come up on deck every time."

Zoro watched her tender handling of the sniper. He always snuck silent glances at rare moments like these, when she openly cared about another person and tried to comfort them.

"Thanks, Nami." Usopp lowered himself down into the men's quarters. Nami left the hatch and closed the door of the anchor room. As she turned from the door, her eyes caught Zoro's observing glance.

"What?" she asked, offended. The swordsman had a frown on his face, which looked more like a disapproving glare.

"You should be like that more often," he said.

"Like what?" she asked, confused.

"You should be nice more often," he explained.

Nami's mouth dropped open. "I am nice!" she exclaimed, surprised. "I'm _always nice, _and friendly, and caring to everyone!" she defended rather loudly.

Zoro scoffed and went to the bathroom, leaving an angry Nami behind to wait at the mast again. Minutes later, as soon as he emerged from his bathroom break, to return to the crow's nest, Nami was ready.

"Hey," she demanded, coming towards him from the mast. Zoro closed the door to the hold and stopped, not very affected by the orange head's obvious anger. "Take back what you said before," she ordered.

"Why should I? I was only stating my opinion," he said, lazily.

"Well, you're opinion sucked!" she threw back.

"I don't know about that, it seems pretty valid right now," he said, looking at her angry posture.

"I'm a nice person, dammit!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry, but all I ever see is a bossy witch," he responded.

"Well, I can't be blamed for what you see and what you don't see," she said.

Zoro groaned. "Whatever," he said and continued to the rope ladder of the crow's nest.

"Wait," Nami said in a calmer tone. Zoro turned side-ways to look at her.

"I'll show you how nice I can be," she said with sincerity. "I'll show you now." Zoro eyed her, suspiciously. While waiting at the mast, Nami had devised a way to get that hug she wanted, and at the same time, she'd show her softer side to the green haired idiot to prove him wrong.

Zoro stuck his hands in his pockets. "Fine. Just hurry up, witch," he said, impatiently.

Nami gulped and walked to him. Zoro didn't bother to turn his body to face her. Nami placed her hands on his arms and guided his front to face her. Zoro obliged her, his hands still in his pockets. He kept his mouth closed, a slight frown creasing his forehead as he looked down at her with silent suspicion. She looked into his eyes and took a deep breath, which she let out sharply. She lifted her hands to his neck.

Zoro's mouth shot open in a grimace. "Whoa...what are you doing?" he asked.

Nami sighed, but continued her move. "Giving you a hug," she announced. Her hands reached further and she had to bring her body closer.

"Wha...that's okay, witch," he said, moving only his head and upper body, trying to deter her attempted closeness.

"Just stand still, moron," she ordered. Her palms landed on his shoulder blades and she tried to pull his shoulders down to rest her chin on them.

Zoro pulled his hands from his pockets and they involuntarily shot to her waist. "Look, Nami, it's okay. I get it. You're nice. Whatever," he hurriedly prattled.

Nami had him in her grasp and was not ready to let go. She was almost half-way there, if she could just get the idiot to bend slightly.

"Woman...wait...let go," he grabbed her slender arms, under the elbows in his rough hands, attempting to pull them off his shoulders. His mind noted how very soft her skin was and how delicate her arms were. He couldn't be rough with those arms.

"Just lower your shoulders, Zoro," she insisted. Her hair brushed against his cheek. Zoro's mind continued to make notes – soft hair; soft chest; soft arms, smooth skin; warm breath on his neck.

"It's okay, woman, it's a hug," he continued to protest. "I get it. Just get off." Try as he might, she wouldn't let go.

Nami began to tug on his shoulder blades, using her weight to coax them downwards. Zoro was jerked repeatedly towards her, but wouldn't relent.

"Come on, Zoro!" Nami yelled by his ear. "One hug! Just one hug!"

Zoro couldn't take the yelling, the nagging, and the persistent jerking anymore. He stuck his hands in his pockets again and let her have his shoulders. Nami found herself embracing him fully, with ease. A small smile crept on to her lips as she instinctively snuggled her chin into his neck. Half of her plan had worked — now for the other half.

She tightly wrapped her arms around him, her palms lightly resting on his shoulder blades. A feeling of security washed over her. He felt firm and strong, and big against her. Like something she could lean on and depend on. Zoro waited for the 'niceness' to be done with. This hug was taking a little too long. It was too girlie, and soft, and warm, and...comforting. Zoro's body relaxed, slightly.

Nami felt that. "Why don't you...hug me back?" she asked, uncomfortably.

"What? No thanks," Zoro swiftly replied. "This is taking too long," he added, not trying to pull away.

"It's just a moment, Zoro," she said with a sigh. "We have so many loud, uncontrollably crazy moments. Can't we just have a nice, quiet one like this?"

Zoro considered her words. "What do you mean?" he asked. "A peace treaty, lasting a few minutes?" he added with a hint of sarcasm.

"Why not?" she asked. She heard and felt him take a deep breath. "It really would go quicker if you hugged me back. Show me how niceness too." she tried again.

"...Ugh," he eventually exhaled with a growl. His hands left his pockets and Nami felt them roughly slide around her back. Her eyes closed when his arms completely encircled her back...and held her. She allowed her body to sink into his.

The navigator hung on to the swordsman, remembering the people in her life who loved and cared for her — Bell-mere, Nojiko, Genzo, the rest of the villagers...and her crewmates. One of whom she was embracing like never before.

Zoro hadn't had a hug in a very long time, and the witch of all people was reminding him what it felt like. His hand moved upwards in a tender stroking of her back, then stopped. It was just something he felt that should be included in a hug, so he did it.

That single stroke sent shivers down Nami's spine. She decided to return the gesture and slowly stroked as much below Zoro's shoulder blades as her hand could reach, then stopped as well. The swordsman's breath now fell on her neck because he had turned his face that way during her touch. She nuzzled her face into his neck as well, and couldn't help a sigh. Zoro's grip tightened around her as his nose nuzzled her neck, having been reminded how comforting it was to be held tightly by someone. Nami exhaled into his neck with giddiness. Zoro felt that and groaned. It was nice and so was the hug — and he suspected the navigator had longed to be held, desperately. He decided to hold her as long as she needed, realising what his strength must be giving her at that moment.

Nami's eyes were closed and she knew she had to let go...the length of the hug was creeping into awkward territory, not that they probably weren't there already. She regretfully slid her hands off his shoulders and they came to rest on his arms, but her face remained where it was — tucked away in Zoro's neck. The swordsman felt her release him, but her body remained where it was. Was she done? He slowly pulled his head back, to find out what exactly this was now.

Nami, whose cheek was resting on his shoulder, looked at him. They had reached the awkward territory. They had never looked into each other's eyes from such a close proximity before, their lips had never been just inches apart, the swordsman and the navigator had never given each other comfort like this, in all their days as crewmates.

Suddenly the galley door above them shot open. "Dinnertime, you idiots!" Sanji yelled out into the air.

Zoro and Nami sprang apart. "Nami-san, I'm so sorry for my yelling, my sweet. I didn't see you down there." Sanji's loving words flowed over the balcony railing as soon as he spotted her.

Zoro put his hands back in his pockets and watched her as she looked up to answer Sanji. "It's okay, Sanji-kun, I feel just fine." She made sure her eyes fell onto Zoro's face as she said the last part. Nami quietly turned and left him behind as she went to the stairs leading to the galley.

"I'm glad, Nami-san," Sanji cooed, eyes planted on the navigator.

"Food!" Luffy suddenly darted around from behind the galley where he'd been hanging out till dinnertime. He made it into the galley before a distracted Sanji could beat him to it and the cook had to rush in after him to curb the captain's prying hands.

"Hey," Zoro called to Nami. The navigator stopped on her way up the stairs. "The peace treaty is over?" he asked.

"I guess so..._moron_," she answered and smiled, faintly at her resumed name-calling. She continued up to the balcony, but once in front of the entrance to the galley, she leaned over the railing — above where Zoro was standing. "But..." she added.

Zoro raised his chin to look up at her.

"It's a treaty that can be revived, anytime," she mentioned. "Depending of course, on what my opinion of you is at the time."

A vague smile appeared on his lips. "Same here..._witch_," he threw back.

Nami turned away, surprised and had a little smile planted on her own face as she entered the galley. Zoro kept his vague smile and continued to think of how nice it was when they were nice to each other. He made his way up to the galley and forced the smile away, because at this moment, the treaty was not in effect, so it was business as usual.

oOo

**A/N: Some peaceful ZoNa for a change that doesn't involve kissing, hehe. I think they do enough of that in my other stuff, lol.**

**OMG! Just seconds after publishing this story, i discovered today is Zoro's birthday. (Technically it was the 11th in my country at the time of publishing.) Wow, happy birthday, Zoro. Here's a hug from your favourite navigator, lol! *Teary eyed***

**B'Bye now. :)**


End file.
